Electromagnetic gun.



'lllilllll STA FnTEhli-T renin.

ELE CTROMAGNE TIC GUN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 4, 190.9.

Application filed June 3, 1908. Serial No. 437,374.

y or discharging-ot heavy projectiles and is directed more especially to improvements in those guns in which the force used to propel or discharge the projectile 1s,s the magnetism induced by an electric curi-eilt, in contradistinction from those guns in which the propelling force is powder or some \other eXplosive, or compressed air.

Y Cne of the objects ol" this invention is 4t0 provide means whereby a projectile is acted upon by but a single lrind of magnetic force throughout its passage of the rifle, that is, allowing it to be subjected to either a' positive or negative magnetic actionv but n ot to both.

Another Object is to provide an electromagnetic gun in which a magnetism opposite to that possessed by the projectile is constantly acting upon the Aprojectile dining the passage ol the latter through the gun.

A third object is to provide an electromagnetic gun to which a sullicicntly large number of windings .of heavy insulated wire may be applied without thc gun being rendered impractical for actual service.

A further object is topi-Ovide an electro magnetic gun having a plurality of barrels, in which magnetic action .is imparted to either or both barrels through a single set of coils.

A still further object is to provide means for closing the circuit ol both barrels'only at the instant of discharge of one or more projectiles, a/nd for breaking the circuits at successive points along both barrels by. the

passage of a u'ojectilc through either barrel. Further o jects will be set forth in the specification following. y

'lheinvention accordingly consists in .the

features of construction, combinations of elei n with the main wires or cables 8, 8.

ments, and arrangement otparts whichV will bc exemplified inthe construction hereinafter set forth, and the scope ofthe application of whichl will be indicated in the following claims.

. ln the accompanying drawings .wherein is illustrated one of the possible embodiments of my invention; Figure l is a .perspective view .oll Aa double-barreled .electromagnetic gun,l F ig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional Aview taken on a vertical plane passing through the center of barrel I of Fig. l, the lower part ot' the barrel being broken away. l

Referring to the two figures, it will be seen that either barrel is composed ola number of units I, l/ separated by smaller units 2, 2. The corresponding units l, l ol each barrel are united by means of the core 4, that is, each pair of opposite units or sections I, I and the core, 4, connecting them are formed from an integral body of relatively soft iron,I or other metal having the like property of being quickly magnetized or demagnetized.

Each pair ol iron sections are separated from the next iron sections by insulating sections 2, 2. The sections of each barrel are closely fitted upon an interior cylinder of brass or other non-magnetic metal. rlhis cylinder 3 or 3 may be either rilied or ol' hexagonal shape. is both barrels are ,exactly similar in construction a description o l' the left hand barrel will sullice.

About the core 4 is Wound insulated Wire. As the greater thenumber of coils, the greater' the magnetic effect produced is, l wind the cores heavily, the size of the coils being limited only by the distance between-adjacent cores. As the diameter of the core is much less than that of the barrel, it will be seen that a heavy coil may be used without even exceeding the diameter of the barrels.

One end ol the coil 5 is lixedto the post G, While the other end is fixed to the post 6. rlhese posts 6, 6 are fastened in the insulating sections 2, 2. Associated with each liXed post movable member 7, 7. 'lhe member 7 or\`7 hasa limited sliding movement in the insulating 2 or 2. In the lower position, the top, which is .at right anglesV with the stem ofthe member v7 is in contact with the top of the post 6, while the lower end of the stem, which has a cam shaped end, extends slightly .through a hole in the inner cylinder 3. To .the members 7, 7'l are attached wires connecting these members,

The wires 8, S are connected to a dynamo.

It Will thus be seen that when the opposite slidin members are in the lower position, .a comp ete circuit exists, the current'passmg ACM from the dynamo (not shown) through Wire 8 to the closed switch 'if-, through the coil 5, and baci; through 6', 7', and. 8. life thus have provided a circuitV which can be. broken by raising either 7 or 7. fis previously stated the lower end of 7, 7', which is cari shaped, extends into the interior of the cylinder 3, 3'; its a-projectile passes through either barrel it comes in contact with this cam end and raises the member 7, 7', thus breaking th circuit. nShe member 7 or 7 being slidab y mounted in the insulated sec tion, it would, al'ter the projectile had passed, tend to drop back and rec'lose the circuit. To prevent this the 'following means are pro'- vided.

Along the upper ing adjacent to the two parts ol' the switch a rod 9 extends. rlhis' rod is supported at suitable intervals by brackets, said brackets being` fastened by screws or other suitable meansto certain of the insulated sections. Adjacent to each 'member 7, 7 and rigidly lined to said redis a l'ork shaped bracket 12, upon which is pivotally mounted a pawl 13, by means oi the pin 15 and cotter lo. rlhe pawl i3, whose upper end is always in contact with the slide 7, 7', is adapted, upon the A slide being raised, to drop into a shallow to the lower position at notch in the slide,

As the awls are each independently pivted, the slides may be caught and held independently ol' each other. T he arms upon which the pavvls are pivoted are, however, all 7 rigidly fastened to the rod. lt therefore l'ollovvs from the above construction that by turning the handle 10 to the right the pawls will be simultaneously withdrawn and the slides all released and allowed to drop bacithe same time, Springs maybeprovided to "accelerate the downward movement of the slides and a spring of more or less strength may bevaplied to the -rock`shal't 9 to ,maintain the rackets l2 in a normally upright position. lt Will be understood that the construction of both barrels is similar and that the bracket and pawl is provided for each slide. ln the above construction the primary principle of electromagneticguns is included, namely having the entirebarrel, with the exe ception ol the insulated portions, nliagnetized at the start and causing` the demagneti sation `0i' each section as the projectile traverses that particular section. Y `The particular advantages gained by the construction, the present embodiment of which has just been set -forth, are as follows. in the electromagnetic guns now proposed, the coil is applied directly to the barrel. is is Well known in this arrangement the op-l posite ends oi' each section, so wrapped, assume an opposite magnetism. The necessary eil'ect of this is that theprojectile in passing through the barrel is subjected to the influence of a positive magnetism,

side ol the barrel and ly 1 .it will thus first a positive (or negative) magnetic influence, and then to its opposite.

v Let us take the initial magnetism to be positive. The projectile, whenv subjected will end, first presented, a negative magnetism, While the opposite end of the rojectile "will become a south pole. 4Now 1n advancing through this articular seetion ol the barrel, the projecti e in approaching the opposite end oi' the section, presents to that end, which. possesses a negative magnetism, the end lof the projectile which .hA s just acquired a negative magnetism. 1e result is that there is a tendency ol rciulsion-like Joles repelling-avhich must lie overcome before the stronger negative magnetism of the elcctromagnet changes the magnetism at that end of the projectile to positive. fronted upon the approach of every end ot a sectionand it will be seen that `a `great amount of electrical energy will be consumed acquire at that iuithout imparting a corresponding increase of velocity to the projectile.

'Ehe foregoing objection is overcome in the present invention. By connecting tiro sections by a core and rapping this core with the required coils, the two barrel sections become respectively 'the north and south poles of the magnet. rl-'his magnet, com prising tivo parallel .and opposite sections and the connecting core, will of necessity have but tiro poles, depending-upon the minding; of the coil, `and .the two opposite poles will lie in the the two opposite sections. i be seen that by assembling a plurality oi those magnets so that all the north poles Will comprise one barrel and allv the south poles, the other, an elcctromagnetic gun is obtained in which a projectile 'during' its passage through a bai-rel is sub jected to the influence of but a single form of magnetism. The projectile, upon being introduced into the. receiving end of a barrel, will acquire a magetism opposite in kind to that of the receiving end, and as the bar" rel throughoutits entire length is either en tircly positive or entirely negative in its electromagnetic energy, the projectile will at no time in its passage through the barrel be effected by a magnetism of the same kind as that acquired by itself.

Other advantages obtained in the present invention will appear from an inspection of the drawing and the principles cinbodieiil therein.

iihile l have describcd one method of carrying out n'iy invention, it should be un T he saineA 'conditiors are con.

, one barrel being Having thus described my invention, what j I claim as new and desire to secure by Leti ters Patent is: j

1. In an electromagnetic gun, a barrel l comprising only like poles of aseries of magj nets, substantially as shown and described. l

2. In an electromagnetic gun, means for l subjecting a projectile to a single polarity during the passage of the projectile through l the gun, substantially as shown and described. Y

3. In an electromagnetic gun, means for maintaining a projectile ina uniform polarity during its passage through the gun, substantially as shown and described.

4. A double barreled electromagnetic gun comprising a series of electromagnets, each electromagnet constituting a single section of two barrels, substantially as shown and described.

5. A double barreled gun `comprising a single series of electromagnets, substantially as shown and described.

6. A double barreled electromagnetic gun, each barrel being of a single polarity throughout, substantially as shown and described.

7. A double barreled electromagnetic gun, of a negativeY polarity and the other barrel being ofa positive polarity, substantially as shown and described.

8. A double barreled gun comprising a single series of electromagnets, the north poles of the magnets constituting one barrel and the south. poles constituting the other barrel, substantiallyas shown and described.

9. Adouble barreled gun comprising a single series of electromagnets, the electromag- -nets being fseparated from each other'by insulators, substantially as shown and described. f

l0. A double barreled l gun comprising a I plurality of independent sections, means for electrically energizing these sections and j means for simultaneously denergizingthe corresponding sections in the two barrels, l substantially as shown and described.

1l. In a double barreled electromagnetic gun, a single means for im arting magnetism to both barrels, substantially as shown and described.

12. In a double. barreled electromagnetic gun, a single ymagnet for simultaneously magand described.

13. A double barreled electromagnetic gun comprising a plurality of magnetic sections netizing both barrels, substantially as shown j and means for independently demagnetizing the corres )ending sections of each barrel,

ily as shown and described.

14. In an electromagnetic gun, a barrel comprising alternatelyarranged conductors and non-conductors, means for imparting to the conductors a magnetism like polarity, substantially as scribed.

of a single and shown and de- I scribed.

. connections between the l5. An electromagnetic guniu'hose barrel com rises the same poles only of a plurality of electromagnets, substantie-Myles shown and described.-

16. In an electromagnetic gun, tlie combination of a. .barrel comprising a )lurality of alternately arranged magnetic an( insulating sections, switches positioned in the insulating sections for closing the `circuit of each magnetic section, means for opening the switches independently of each other, independent means for maintaining the switches open, and means for simultaneously closing all the switches, substantially as shown and de- 17. In an electromagneticgun, the `combination of a barrel comprising a plurality of alternately arranged l ing sections, and electromagnets, half of Whose poles lie in the barrel, all the conducting sections in the barrel being', lwhen energized, of the same polarity, substantiallyas shown and described. y

1S. In a double barreled electromagnetic gun. afplurality of independent electromagnets, the opposite poles of each magnet lying conducting and ins iilatmagnets', substantially as shown and described.

.19. In a double-barreled electromagnetic gun, the combination' of a plurality of independent electromagnets and. means, operated by the passage of a projectile through, either barrel, for successively breaking the circuit of eac-h of the electromagnets, substantially as shown and described.

20. In adouble barreled electromagnetic gun, the combination of plurality of -independent electromagnets, each electromagnet comprising two parallel tubes and an iron core connecting said tubes and integral therewith, insulating sections alternating with said electromagnets, 'li'Xed( posts in each of the insulating sections, Wire coils surrounding said cores, the tufo ends of each coil being fastened res ectivelyto two posts inthe adjacent insulliting sections of each barrel, sliding members mounted in the insulating sections and cooperating with the posts, and sliding members and the main source of current, the arrangement being such that upon the operation of any slidingvmemberto non-contact withv its post the circuit in the adjacent electromagnet is broken. subs antially as shown and described. i

21. In an electromagnetic gun, the combination of a lurality of alternating magnetic sections and) insulators, switches positioned on each insulator, said switches comprising a fixed nd a slidable member, a rock-shaft extendnej lo-ug the barrel of the gun and araltending slightly into alle interior ofvtl'le bar- 10' iel tl.; en ith and adjacent to the swite es, il* rel, substantially as shown and descrlbed.

plurality of rigid @rms on seid rock-shaft adn In testimony whereof I al'x my signature, jacent to each slldmg membelj, plvoted pawls m the presence of two Witnesses. on each arm, saxd pawls belng adapted to vELI M' ALDERMQN' lon-lc the sliding membex` in raised position ,und means for :releasing all of said sliding Witnesses:

members elmultaueously, the lower endsof KATHERINE H. BUNDEL, smid sliding members, when so released eX- l YlAY MURCHiE. 

